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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

EVERETT .D. MOORE AND THOMAS C. OHAPPELL, OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND; SAIDMOORE ASSIGNOR TO SAID OHAPPELL.

LETTER-BOX.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 407,870, dated July 30,1889. Application filed January 6, 1888. Serial No. 260,011. (No model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, EVERETT D. MOORE and THoMAs C. OHAPPELL, citizensof the United States, residing at Baltimore, in the State of Maryland,have invented certain new and useful Improvements in lWIail- ParcelBoxes; and we do declare the following to be a full, clear, and exactdescription of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theTo art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference beinghad to the accompanying drawings, and to the letters and figures ofreference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

r5 Our invention relates to improvements in the devices for thereception and the security of packages and large parcels of mail-matter,which may be placed in such public locations as will suit theconvenience of the community, and can be used either in connection withor independent of the present street letter-boxes, and wherein suchmail-matter that is too large to be placed in the said letfer-boxes maybe deposited with like security,

2 5 the construction of the device being such that when the parcel isplaced in the receptacle thereof it will be caused automatically to passinto a locked second compartment or receptacle, from whence it can beremoved only by 0 the person possessing the key to this secondcompartment.

In the further description of our invention reference is had to theaccompanying draw ings, in which Figure 1 is a vertical section throughX X,

Fig. 2, of the box, showing part of sack attached thereto. Fig. 2 is afront elevation of the device with a part of front removed, showingpartof. sack attached thereto. Fig. 3 is a vertical section through the box,showing a modification of the locking device therein and a partof thebox which forms the second or locked compartment thereof. Fig. 4 is aview of the locked compartment, showing a water-proof sack suspendedtherein. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of the device in full and aletter-box attached thereto. Fig. 6 is a detailed view of the ring whichforms the mouth of the sack when it is employed without the lower box.

The same figures refer to the same or similar parts throughout theseveral views.

The figure 7 denotes the casin g or box, which is preferably constructedof cast-iron, and of such form that it maybe conveniently secured 5 5 toa post 8 or to a wall in a manner similar to that employed in thepresent letter-boxes, and is formed of two compartmentsthe uppcrordepositing compartment 9, into which the parcel for mailing is placed,and the lower locked storage-compartment 10, into whiclt isautomatically dropped the parcel, and wherein it is securely confineduntil released by a proper key to this storage-compartment, toaccomplish which the said box 7 is provided with the following devices:One side of the upper compartment 9 is provided with an opening 11, ofconvenient size to receive the parcel, its dimensions being limited tosuch size as will permit the insertion therethrough of only suchpackages which will conveniently pass into the lower compartment.

Hinged to the box 7 is the door 12, which is caused to normally remainin the lower or closed position by gravity and protects the said opening11, a handle 13 being placed in the door for convenience of opening.

In order to protect the entrance to the lower or lockedstorage-compartment 10, and to pre vent the abstraction therefromthrough the opening 11 of the deposited mail-matter, there are providedat the entrance to this compartment the trap-doors 14, Fig. 3; or onealone may be employed, as represented in Figs. 1 and 2, which are hingedon the inside of the box 7 at this point in such manner that they arefree to fall by gravity and normally maintain the vertical oropeuposition. Ata proper radial distance from the hinged center of the saidtrap-doors 14 are provided the eyebolts o 15 or some suitable device, towhich is secured the end of the wire rope 16, which is made in thebranched form represented in Fig. 3 when two trap-doors 14: are employeduniting into the single part 16 at 1.7. From thence this 5 single partof the rope 16 passes over the pulleys 18, which are supported from theside of the box 7 by the brackets 1.)one on each side of the boxtheother ends of the said rope being made fast to a properly-located 10oeyebolt 15, or some suitable device for this purpose, on the inside ofthe door 12, whereby the said door 12 and the trap-doors 14 will becaused to move in unison.

The lower compartment may terminate in a chute, Figs. 1, 2, and 3, towhich is locked the water-proof mail-sack 20, the said chute beingprovided on the side thereof with the flange 22 and its end terminatingwith the tapered swell23, by which means the waterproof mail-sack may besafely locked thereto by means of the hinged band 24, which forms themouth of the said sack, the said band being formed of two parts, Fig. 6,and connected by the hinges 25, the free ends of the band 24 terminatingin the lugs 26, by which the said band may be held in the closedposition around the chute 20, where it will be secured in posit-ion toreceive the deposited mail-matter by the flanges 22 and swelled end 23.In lieu of this band 24,a flexible Wire rope may be employed for thispurpose and the bag securely locked to the box thereof.

In Fig, 3 a box 27, of common form, is partly shown as a receptacle forthe deposited parcels, a door 28 being provided for the convenientremoval of the contents thereof.

In Fig. 4 a box 27 is represented, which has suspended therein a sack21,the said sack being suspended from lugs or by some suitable device onthe inside of the said box 27 in such position to receive the depositedparcel, the door 28 permitting the easy removal or insertion of the saidsack in the box.

The manner of operating is as follows: As

stated, the box is suspended in any convenient place where convenientaccess may be had to the door 12. hen it is desired to deposit a packagein the box, the said door 12 is raised by its handle 13, which movementwill cause the trap-door 14 to move in unison therewith by means of therope 16 and assume the horizontal or closed position, a slight movementof the door 12 causing a much greater radial movement to the trapdoor 14in consequence of the relative angles through which the power is appliedthrough the said rope 16, whereby the slightest movement of the door 12will cause the trap-door 14 to sufficiently obstruct the passage to thelower compartment 10 to prevent the abstraction therefrom of any matter.When the door 12 is opened suificiently wide to admit a parcel, the saidtrap-doors 14 will form a floor upon which to place the said parcel.When the door 12 is released, gravity will cause it to fall and closethe opening 11, and at the same time the trap-doors 14 will drop andpermit the parcel to be deposited in the receptacle 21 therefor, aspreviously stated, the opening 11 being only of such dimensions as will.permit the insertion therethrough of such a parcel as will readily fallthrough the opening into the lower storage-compartment, from where it isto be removed by the carrier by either releasing the sack 21 or openingthe door 28.

Having described our invention and manner of operating, what we claim,and desire to secure by United States Letters Patent, is

In a mail-parcel box, the combination of a casing provided with areceiving-opening 11, the bottom of said casing being open andterminating in the swelled end 23, the flange 22, encircling the saidcasing near the bottom thereof, a door 12, hinged to the casing toprotect the opening 11 and constructed to swing outward, the inner door14, hinged on the inside of the casing below the opening 11 therein andswinging downward, the rope 16, connecting the doors 12 and14,wherebywhen the door 12 is opened the inner door 14 will be closed,and a mail-sack provided with the hinged band 24 around the mouththereof for securing said sack to the lower open end of said casing,substantially as shown, and for the purpose set forth.

In testimony whereof we afiix our signatures in presence of twowitnesses.

EVERETT D. MOORE. THOS. C. OI'IAPPELL. Witnesses:

JNO. T. MAnDox, W. H. BUCK, Jr.

